A chemical company modifies an industrial synthesis to minimize its environmental impact and reduce waste. They aim to transition to a process where both the percentage yield and the atom economy are maximized.
Which statement correctly distinguishes between these two key indicators of chemical process efficiency?
Percentage yield measures the proportion of starting material atoms that end up in the desired product, whereas atom economy measures the mass of desired product obtained relative to the theoretical maximum.
Percentage yield measures the mass of desired product obtained relative to the theoretical maximum, whereas atom economy measures the proportion of reactant atoms that end up in the desired product.
Percentage yield is a theoretical value calculated solely from the balanced chemical equation, whereas atom economy is an experimental value determined by weighing the products.
Percentage yield and atom economy are always numerically equal for any reaction that has a 100%100\%100% conversion rate.
81 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Chemistry Improving processes and products. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.